Loading map...

1953 Map of Mt. McKinley D-4

Name: 1953 Topographic Map of Mt. McKinley D-4
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1968
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1968

About this map

The McKinley River and Kantishna River converge in this remote subarctic landscape, where a complex network of wetlands and meandering waterways dominates the interior terrain. A singular Sled Road winds through the central valley, providing a vital winter transportation route across the swampy lowlands south of Sevenmile Hill. This corridor connects several large freshwater bodies, including Chilchukabena Lake and the expansive Starr Lake.

Evidence of human habitation is sparse and temporary, marked only by an isolated cabin near the Birch Creek drainage. The map reveals the intricate hydrology of the Tanana Valley foothills, where smaller features like Billberg Lake, Gosling Lake, and Carlson Lake are interspersed among unnamed ponds and the braided channels of the Muddy River. The presence of the VABM 1135 Kabena station suggests the importance of this area for early geodetic surveying in the Alaska interior during the early 1950s.